Is China's health care free?

Residents of urban areas are not provided with free healthcare, and must either pay for treatment or purchase health insurance. ... They are highly expensive; treatment there can often cost up to ten times more than a public hospital. Public hospitals and clinics are available in all Chinese cities. read more

Although not identified until later, China’s first case of a new, highly contagious disease, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), occurred in Guangdong in November 2002, and within three months the Ministry of Health reported 300 SARS cases and five deaths in the province. read more

Health care spending in China is increasing rapidly. According to a Deloitte report released in 2015, the country’s annual expenditure is projected to grow at an average rate of 11.8 percent a year in 2014-2018, reaching $892 billion by 2018. read more

Back in 1949, health care was free to everyone in China. The communist state operated all clinics and hospitals, and it employed all doctors, nurses and health workers. Then in 1984, the government started implementing free-market reforms. read more